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Accommodation Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was of hotel accommodation for departmental staff working away from home in each of the last four years. [41068]
Dr. Howells: In DCMS travel and subsistence administration is contracted out and there is no electronic record of hotel accommodation. To provide this information would involve a manual check of each travel and subsistence claim which could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
Gender Pay Gap
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the extent of the gender pay gap among staff in her Department. [41002]
Dr. Howells: In response to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) Task Force "Just Pay" report the Government have committed Departments and agencies to review their pay systems and prepare any necessary action plans to close any equal pay gaps by April 2003. The Cabinet Office issued comprehensive guidance in January 2002 to assist Departments and agencies in carrying out these reviews. DCMS will be carrying out its review within the next six months and the Royal Parks Agency will be building it into their programme.
Relocation Expenses
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on the payment of relocation expenses to staff in her Department. [41033]
Dr. Howells: The underlying principle of DCMS's policy on the payment of relocation expenses to staff is that reasonable costs associated with a compulsory permanent transfer to a new workplace will be reimbursed; and anyone joining DCMS from other locations does so on purely voluntary terms. To date there has been no call to use this policy primarily because DCMS is a London based organisation.
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In the Royal Parks Agency where Parks Managers are required to relocate to Parks Lodges they receive a relocation package of £2,500 and reimbursement for removal expenses.
Images of England Website
Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) whether (a) owners and (b) tenants will be informed in writing if their properties are to be listed on the Images of England website being established by English Heritage; [40838]
- (2) what representations she has received on the publication of details of listed private properties on the Images of England website and (a) the Data Protection Act 1998 and (b) the ECHR; [40839]
(3) whether owners and tenants may permanently remove their property from the Images of England website being set up by English Heritage to catalogue listed buildings. [40840]
Dr. Howells: English Heritage undertook a comprehensive and successful series of regional press campaigns to publicise the "Images of England" project. They made it clear that it was their intention to photograph every building on the statutory list for the project; owners or occupiers will not therefore be informed individually. Owners who do not wish their building to appear should contact English Heritage, but they should bear in mind that information on every listed building is already in the public domain. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received two letters about Data Protection and Human Rights legislation in this context.
National Collections
James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) whether overseas loans are taken into account when her Department assesses the proportion of total collection on display to the public; [40333]
- (2) what loans from the Royal Armouries collection have not been returned after a period of three years. [40334]
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Dr. Howells [holding answer 6 March 2002]: The number of overseas loans varies substantially from one museum to another and is not a key performance measure used by my Department.
I shall place in the Library details of loans made from the Royal Armouries' collections over three years ago that have not yet been returned.
Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether funding for the heritage economic regeneration scheme is allocated only to areas of deprivation; and if she will make a statement. [40968]
Dr. Howells: The heritage economic regeneration scheme was set up by English Heritage in 1998 to boost the country's deprived urban and rural communities. English Heritage issues guidance to local authorities which explains the funding criteria. They advise that this does not preclude them from assisting schemes in areas which do not rank highly in the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Region's deprivation indices, providing there is a clear regeneration need.
Litigation
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many cases (a) her Department and (b) its agencies have defended in (i) industrial tribunals and (ii) the courts in each year since 1997; how many were concluded in their favour; and what the total cost was to her Department of litigation in each year. [41116]
Dr. Howells: During the period in question:
- The Department for Culture Media and Sport defended no cases in either industrial tribunals or the courts;
The Historic Royal Palaces Agency defended one industrial tribunal in 1997 which found in its favour. There were no cases which went to the courts;
The Royal Parks Agency defended one industrial tribunal in 1997 which found against it and compensation of £3,500 was awarded. The agency defended two industrial tribunals in 2001 both of which were found in its favour. There were no cases which went to the courts.
Special Advisers
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many special advisers were employed by her (a) between 1 May and 31 December 1997 and (b) in each year from 1998 to 2001 inclusive; and what the total amount spent on special advisers by the Department was in each of those years. [41249]
Dr. Howells: Details of special advisers employed in the Department are shown in the table.
| Special advisers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Period year | Full-time | Part-time | Total |
| 1997(16) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1998 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1999 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2000 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2001 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
(16) 1 May to 31 December 1997
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The information about the total amount spent on special advisers by the Department could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
NESTA
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to review National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts funding programmes. [41338]
Mr. Caborn: NESTA has established itself as a significant supporter of creativity and innovation over the past two years and is currently undertaking evaluation studies of its three funding programmes. The Department is taking a close interest in the outcome of this work and this evidence will be taken into account in the Quinquennial Review of NESTA, which is scheduled to take place in 2004–05.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the NESTA-funded projects in the last two years; and what assessment she has made of NESTA projects. [41339]
Mr. Caborn: Since its inception, NESTA has made more than 200 awards, totalling over £15 million. These awards range widely across the arts and sciences, and have made some interesting connections between the two. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport takes a close interest in NESTA's progress and believes that it is making a valuable contribution in line with its objectives. I am asking the chief executive of NESTA to write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible with the details of each award made so far and shall ensure that a copy of the letter is placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
North West Arts Board
Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the proposed transfer of the North West Arts Board's staff, assets and liabilities to the Arts Council of England. [40405]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 7 March 2002]: The proposed transfer of the North West Arts Board's staff, assets and liabilities to the Arts Council of England is a matter for the North West Arts Board and the Arts Council of England. I understand that North West Arts Board agreed the resolution to proceed with the transfer to the Arts Council of England at their meeting on 4 March.
Free Television Licences
David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners in Telford are in receipt of free television licences. [41425]
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Dr. Howells: TV Licensing, which administers the free television licence scheme for the BBC as licensing authority, is not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, estimates based on the 1991 Census indicate that there were approximately 3,200 people aged 75 or over in the Telford constituency.
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners in Clwyd, South are in receipt of free television licences. [41900]
Dr. Howells: TV Licensing, which administers the free television licence scheme for the BBC as licensing authority, is not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, estimates based on the 1991 Census indicate that there were approximately 4,800 people aged 75 or over in the Clwyd, South constituency.
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